The Kalashnikov assault rifle, better known as the AK-47, and its variants comprise one of the largest groups of firearms on earth. It has been estimated that over 90 million of these firearms have been produced in dozens of countries since their introduction in the Soviet Union in 1946. Developed primarily as a military weapon, the AK-variant became famous for its simplicity of operation and reliability in extreme conditions of use. Because of its mild recoil, the AK-variant has the capability of delivering effective fire at a range of 400 meters.
The AK-firearm has a few problems that make it less than optimal for use as a weapon of war. One of these, a lack of means to hold the bolt open after the last round is fired from its magazine was solved by the bolt locking mechanism described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,261,029 issued to the same inventor as the subject application. A current unresolved problem, however, involves the construction of an AK type weapon for the exclusive operation of either a right- or a left-handed user. The bolt on the AK-firearm is always on the right side and a right-handed user can have a tough time operating a AK-variant.
For optimum shooting performance, it is important that a user hold an AK-firearm by the pistol grip with his strong hand and while looking at the intended target through the sights. To initiate the firing of an AK-variant firearm, a bullet is driven from a loaded magazine into an empty chamber by grasping the AK-firearm by the pistol grip with the strong hand, pulling the charging handle to the rear with the weak hand, and then releasing the charging handle. If the configuration of an AK-variant firearm causes a user to hold the pistol grip with his weak hand while pulling the charging handle with the users strong hand, the charging process is slowed and a steady aim is lost.